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On the improvement of castings quality in hybrid low-pressure sand-casting (LPSC) process in a fully integrated CAE environment

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Abstract

This research paper is a proof-of-concept based on the application of a fully integrated CAE tools to improve the quality of castings produced by the hybrid LPSC process, for which there are no viable design rules for feeding systems compared to conventional gravity casting. A case study consisting of the production of a non-conventional riser-specimen from a eutectic Al-alloy (EN AC-44300) was first modeled using ProCAST® casting simulation software to predict the flow of liquid metal during the filling stage and the active solidification of the casting under different packing pressure conditions. The physical hybrid LPSC process was later performed based on the CAE modeling and simulation results to produce the riser-specimens. The experimental /numerical comparison showed good agreement in predicting the position of the melt front in the mold cavity and the temperature in both the casting and the mold during the filling and cooling stages, respectively. The prediction of solidification defects at different packing pressure conditions also showed good agreement with the experiments. The results show that CAE simulations can provide foundry engineers with a systematic and cost-effective solution to optimize casting parameters in the hybrid LPSC process during the filling and solidification stages.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the contribution of colleagues at the Arts et Métiers Institute of technology. Our thanks to J. BOURGEOIS for sand mold printing, J. NEGRE and W. JERAUD for their technical assistance, and to J. VOISIN and C. PERSON for their help in making the thomographic observations.

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The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other support were received during the preparation of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire MSMP-EA7350, Arts et Métiers ParisTech, 2 cours des Arts et Métiers, 13617, Aix-en-Provence, France

    Ahmed Ktari & Mohamed El Mansori

  2. Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA

    Ahmed Ktari & Mohamed El Mansori

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  1. Ahmed Ktari
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Ahmed KTARI planned and carried out the CAE simulations and the experiments. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Ahmed KTARI. All authors contributed to the analysis of the results and to the writing of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ahmed Ktari.

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Ktari, A., El Mansori, M. On the improvement of castings quality in hybrid low-pressure sand-casting (LPSC) process in a fully integrated CAE environment. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 127, 2309–2326 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-023-11663-z

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